The Tigers fell to Moffat County's junior varsity, 48-47 in overtime, Tuesday in Craig, but the Bulldogs are a basketball power no matter the age level.

The Tigers are 6-7 overall and remain 3-1 in Western Slope League play.

Last year, Paonia defeated Hayden by 15, meaning the Tigers had a 42-point turnaround between the seasons.

"It was amazing," Hayden coach Jayme Adams said of the Tigers' performance against Paonia. "I've never seen them play like that before. Our shots were just falling everywhere. We were 83 percent from the free-throw line. The cool thing was our points were spread out through the whole team."

Senior Alycia Boyd led the way with 18 points, and junior Mariah Doolin had 11, but six other players scored to lift Hayden to its second-highest offensive output of the season.

"We've been working a lot on shooting," Adams said. "I think it's starting to come along. They were running the offense and taking the smart shot, not necessarily the first open shot. They are definitely working it around."

Adams also credited assistant Bret Hoover with introducing a new defensive press this season.